Apparatus for leveling.



PATENTED JAN. 22, 1907.

C. L. HOWER. APPARATUS FOR LEVELING.

AAPPLICATION FILED OGT INI/ENTOR,

1HE NoRRls Fzrzks ca.,wAsumaroN, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 1907'.

Application filed October 6, 1906'l Serial No. 337,682.

To all whom it pray concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. HowER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the town of Vintondale, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Leveling; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention consists generallyy of an app aratus for leveling granular materials which have been deposited in a pile by `dumping from a car or otherwise, and is particularly adapted to the leveling of coal when it is or after it has been discharged into a coke-oven.

Although my a paratus is adapted for use in connection wit various kinds of receptacles, ovens, or furnaces which treat substances which are composed of large or fine articles, I will, for the purpose of simplifying the iillustration and description, confine the specification to its use in connection with a beehive coke-oven.

Heretofore it has been customary to level the coal in a beehive cokeoven after it has been discharged therein through the tunnelhead, thereby forming a somewhat pyramidal pile, by introducing through the upper portion of the side doorway a tool similar to a rake or a long-handled hoe and working same backward and forward by manual labor, which is an expensive, tedious, and laborious operation.

My apparatus consists, essentially, of a substantially vertical revoluble shaft providedv with an opening at its lower end, in which opening a leveler-arm is removably secured, which when in its operative position extends in a substantially horizontal direction, and although in the illustration and description thereof I have shown this leveler-arm as of length such as to extend equally in both directions from the shaft by which it is su orted this is not essential, as I may maffe 1t shorter and extending principally in one direction from said shaft, as may be readily understood.

The extreme end of my leveler-arm when' in its operative position is at a small or reasonable distance from the walls of the cokeoven, so that during the revolution it will not contact with said walls.

' The revoluble shaft is provided with an opening at its lower end, as heretofore stated,

into which the leveler-arm may be introduced after said shaft is lowered within the cokeoven through the tunnel-head thereof, and means are provided by which said arm may be clamped to the shaft and held in position for operation.

The operation of leveling is erformed by causing the shaft to turn w 'e the coal is being discharged into the oven or after the charging has been completed, as desired, the turning of said shaft thus revolving the leveler-'arm, which spreads and levels the coal, while the shaft and attached leveler-arm may be slowly moved up or down, if desired, at the same time in order to keep the levelerarm in contact with the upper surface of the coal to be leveled.

The revoluble shaft which carries the leveler-arm is provided with means whereby it may be lowered into the coke-oven through the tunnel-head thereof and withdrawn from same when desired.

After the revoluble shaft has been lowered into the oven the leveler-arm is introduced from the side door of the oven through the opening in the lower end of said shaft and clamped therein by means provided for this purpose, and after the operation is completed the leveler-arm is withdrawn by a reversal of this procedure.

My leveling apparatus may be carried on the dumping-car, called a "lorry, which is used for transporting coal to the oven, or it may be supported in any other manner, as may be expedient or desirable; but for convenience and simplicity of illustration I have not shown this lorry on the drawings which form part of this specification.

By means of my invention the fine coal which is dumped into a beehive coke-oven from the lorry through the tunnel-head may be leveled as the charging proceeds by the revolution of the leveler-arm, and when the oven is filled level to the height desired the revolution is stopped, the leveler-arm withdrawn from the shaft through the side door of the oven, and the shaft withdrawn upward through the tunnel-head.

Having thus given a general description of my invention, I will now in order to make the matter more clear refer to the annexed sheet of drawings, which forms part of this specification, and in which like characters refer to like parts.

V,Figure l is a transverse vertical section through a line of coke-ovens, showing my ap- IOO paratus in operative position in one of the l ovens. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a part of my apparatus. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus corresponding to Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional plan on the line IV IV of Fig. 2. A

Referring now to the various characters of reference on the drawings, 1 indicates a beehive coke-oven; 2, the coal which is being leveled therein.

3 is the adjustable tube or hollow shaft, which is capable of revolution about its axis and of being moved upward or downward, as desired.

4 is the tunnel-head of the coke-oven.

5 is the lower portion of the tube or shaft 3, and 6 is the upper portion of the opening near the lower end of the adjustable tube or hollow shaft, while 7 is a larger opening to allow for the introduction and withdrawal of the locking-block 9.

8 is the leveler-arm,which, although shown as solid on the drawings, may be hollow, channel-shaped, or of other section, such as will conduce to lightness and strength.

9 is a locking-block which slides within the lower opening of the hollow shaft 3 and which when clamped in its downward position serves to hold the leveler-arm 8 securely in its proper location.

10 indicates a cap-plate on top of the lock ing-block 9, which is securedto said lockingblock by means of tap-bolts or screws, (not shown.) said cap-plate serving to hold said locking-block on the end of the locking-rod 11. The locking-rod 11 is provided with a head 12 on the 'lower end thereof, which assists in retracting the locking-block from its downward position when it is desired to unclamp the leveler-arm, the lower end of said head 12 being fitted within the recess 13, formed in the upper surface of the lockingblock 9. 14 is a guide-block mounted near the lower end of the adjustable tube, as shown, which serves to laterally support and guide the locking-rod. j

15 is a threaded end on the top of the locking-rod 11, which works within the threaded block or nut 17, which is mounted in the upper end of the hollow shaft.

16 indicates a hand-wheel secured to the u er end of the locking-rod 11, by turning which the locking-block 9 may be moved downward to clamp the leveler-arm or upward to release same as desired, and although I have shown this hand-wheel on the top of the locking-rod I may dispense with this, if desired, and make the end of the rod square to receive a wrench or lever.

18 represents a worm-wheel secured to the hollow shaft 3, the upper portion of said worm-wheel being provided with a grooved collar, as shown. Within the groove in this collar is fitted a lifting and guide arrangement 21, one portion of which incloses said collar, while permitting said collar to revolve, said lifting and guide arrangement being provided with a hub attached thereto, as shown, which is capable of sliding upward or downward on the guide-rod 22, which permits said lifting and guide arrangement to move up or down as desired, while preventing it from turning with the worm-wheel 1S.

The worm-wheel 18 and the hollow shaft to which it is secured may be revolved by the revolution of the worm 19, which is mounted on the shaft 20, which shaft is provided with motive means for revolving same as desired.

Attached to the sides of the lifting and guide arrangement 21 is a pair of flexible connections or ropes 23 for raising or lowering the adjustable tube and its connections. The flexible connections 23 are attached at their lower ends to the lifting and gui'de arrangement 21, thence pass over thevertical sheaves 24, thence around the horizontal sheaves 25, and are then secured to windingdrums, which drums are not shown.

26 indicates the upper part of the framework carrying my apparatus, and 27 is one of the lower parts thereof.

2S indicates a funnel through which coal. is discharged from a lorry or otherwise into the coke-oven through the tunnel-head 4 thereof.

For sake of simplicityof description and operation I have not shown the arrangement for carrying my apparatus nor have I shown the motors or all of the connections from same for imparting the various movements to my apparatus; but suflicient are shown and described to give a complete understanding to one skilled in this art, and I wish it understood that the motor and mechanism for transmitting the movements may be of any style that is convenient or desirable for use in this connection.

Although my apparatus can be used with any size or style of coke-ovens, it is particularly well adapted to beehive coke-ovens of large diameter, as the labor in attempting to level these by hand is excessive and almost impracticable and particularly so when fine wet coal is used, all of which will be readily understood by one skilled in this art.

Although I have shown and described my improvements in considerable detail, I do not wish to be limited to the exact and specific details shown and described, but may use such substitutions, modifications, or equivalents thereof as are embraced within the scope of my invention or as pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An apparatus for leveling comprising a revoluble shaft, a leveler-arm removably secured within a socket or opening provided in the lower end of said shaft, means for lower- IOO 1 clamping said arm from said snaft, and

ing, raising and revolving said shaft and means for securing said leveler-arm thereto.

2. An apparatus for leveling comprising a revoluble shaft, a leveler-arm removably mounted within an opening arranged near the lower end of said shaft, means for clamping said arm to and for unclamping same from said shaft g means for lowering and raising the shaft and for revolving the same.

3. An apparatus for leveling comprising a vertical shaft provided with an opening at its lower end, a leveler-arm removably mounted within said opening, a locking-block mounted in said opening and provided with means for to and unclamping same means for lowering, raising and revolving the shaft with its attached leveler-arm.

4. In a leveling apparatus a substantially vertical shaft, an opening in the lower end of said shaft, a leveler-arm removably mounted within said opening, a locking-block slidably arranged in said opening, a lockingrod one end of which is revolubly secured to said locking-block, the other -end of said rod being provided with a screw or other means for longitudinally moving said rod in either direction to clamp or unclamp said levelerarm, and means for lowering, raising and revolving the shaft aforesaid.

5. The combination with a lorry of an apparatus for leveling mounted thereon, cornprising a revoluble shaft, a leveler-arm removably mounted in an opening provided at the lower end of said shaft, means for clampling said arm to and unclamping the same from said shaft, and means for lowering, raising and for revolving theshaftaforesaid.

6. The combination with a coke-oven of an apparatus for leveling, comprising a vertical shaft provided with an opening in its lower end, a leveler-arm'removably mounted within said opening, means for temporarily securing said arm to said shaft, and means for lowering, raising and revolving the shaft aforesaid together with the attached leveler-arm.

7. In a leveling apparatus, a revoluble shaft, an opening in the lower end of said shaft, a leveler-arm removably mounted within said opening, a locking-block slidably arranged in said opening, a locking-rod one end of which is revolubly secured to said lockingblock, the other end of said rod being provided witn a screw or other means for moving said rod in either direction to clamp or unclamp said leveler-arm, a worin-wheel mounted on said shaft and meshing with a worm provided with means forrevolving same, a flexible connection secured to a ring mounted within a groove in the collar or hub of said wheel, said flexible connection passing over suitable pulleys to a winding-drum provided with a motor for raising and lowering said shaft and its connections.

In testimony whereof I hereto aiiiX my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES L. HOWER.

Witnesses A. V. CALDWELL, M. P. FOSTER. 

